An interesting non-profit, Forever Curious.org, reached out to me after hearing some of the radio shows I’ve done about various types of service dogs, in particular service dog organizations that provide dogs for children with autism, diabetes and other special needs.
Forever Curious is an unusual non-profit, a self-proclaimed “labor of love” by a group of volunteer librarians and educators seeking to curate information online. A member of their group has a special needs child who benefits from a family assistance dog, who has become an indispensable part of the child’s treatment, so they are attuned to service and assistance dogs. ForeverCurious.org is an innovative and little-known group whose work can be of useful to educators and students everywhere, so I’m delighted to bring them to everyones’ attention. They curate educational resources and lesson plans online for people of all ages, from preschool through college and adulthood. ForeverCurious.org “seeks to foster a love of lifelong learning that has kept all of us forever curious.”
Some of the links that their group looked up regarding assistance dogs were Autism Service Dogs of America, Service Dogs for America in North Dakota and VA Benefits for Service Dogs.
Its so nice when people doing good connect with other people doing their own flavor of good. I hope these links will be of value to those of you for whom an assistance dog can be life-changing, not just life-enhancing as our companion dogs are for the “rest” of us.
Tracie Hotchner is a nationally acclaimed pet wellness advocate, who wrote THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know. She is recognized as the premiere voice for pets and their people on pet talk radio. She continues to produce and host her own Gracie® Award winning NPR show DOG TALK® (and Kitties, Too!) from Peconic Public Broadcasting in the Hamptons after 9 consecutive years and over 500 shows. She produced and hosted her own live, call-in show CAT CHAT® on the Martha Stewart channel of Sirius/XM for over 7 years until the channel was canceled, when Tracie created her own Radio Pet Lady Network where she produces and co-hosts CAT CHAT® along with 10 other pet talk radio podcasts with top veterinarians and pet experts.
Tracie also is the Founder and Director of the annual NY Dog Film Festival, a philanthropic celebration of the love between dogs and their people. Short canine-themed documentary, animated and narrative films from around the world create a shared audience experience that inspires, educates and entertains. With a New York City premiere every October, the Festival then travels around the country, partnering in each location with an outstanding animal welfare organization that brings adoptable dogs to the theater and receives half the proceeds of the ticket sales. Halo was a Founding Sponsor in 2015 and donated 10,000 meals to the beneficiary shelters in every destination around the country in 2016.
Tracie lives in Bennington, Vermont – where the Radio Pet Lady Network studio is based – and where her 12 acres are well-used by her 2-girl pack of lovely, lively rescued Weimaraners, Maisie and Wanda.